Mike from Minneapolis writes ...

Laura writes ...

Friday, September 17, 2010

In the first three editions of the Grandma's Minnesota Mile the elite field has grown progressively stronger. Now in it's fourth year, the Minnesota Mile appears to be continuing that trend of improvement. The race boasts an international field highlighted by a handful of contenders that were born right here in Minnesota.

Read yesterday's Down the Backstretch for a preview of the Minnesota Mile before you answer this question...

Y/N: Will a Minnesota native win one or both of the Minnesota Mile elite races?

The fastest mile PR in the field belongs to Kenyan Richard Kandie with a 3:53.70 to his credit. Phillip Lagat has run 3:57.55 and Steve Slattery 3:56. Wearing bib numbers 1 and 3 respectively are Minnesotans Garrett Heath and Will Leer.

On the women's side, the fastest seed time is owned by Breeda Willis who has run 4:31. Denisa Costescu and Amy Mortimer have both run 4:32. Former Gophers Heather Dorniden, Jamie Cheever and Gabriele Anderson have mile PRs of 4:38, 4:39 and 4:40, in that order.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 10:15 A.M. CST, Sunday, September 19th. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

My answer: Yes

The fantasy contest question from last week was: Will three or more MIAC teams finish among the top five teams in the women's race at the Les Duke Invitational at Grinnell on Saturday?The answer was no. St. Olaf was second, Bethel was fourth and Carleton finished seventh. Thirteen contestants answered correctly this week. Lori Anne Peterson is now the sole leader with 23 points.